A matter of when not if for the Met Commissioner
In truth it was a matter of when, not if. Dame Cressida Dick simply had to go – her force long ago lost the faith of Londoners.
For some, it began with the heavy-handed response to the vigil for Sarah Everard, when the force violently broke up a peaceful protest at the murder of a young woman by one of their own.
For others, particularly the black community of this city, an inability to trust the police is a far more long-standing issue.
Others simply grew tired of reporting crimes to a force that often didn’t seem interested. Even the handling of ‘partygate’ was botched.
It was blindingly obvious to all but the most politically-deaf that there would be an investigation, but the way it was done – turning the Sue Gray report into a botch job – did nothing to build faith back into the system.
In the end, it was simply one more tin-eared interview that did for her.
The Mayor may well have taken the most popular decision of his tenure.
It is easy to say in hindsight that she was the wrong person for the job. Her involvement in the killing of Jean Charles de Menezes was an inauspicious paragraph on her biography when she took the top job.
Since then, we have seen apologies for everything from personally obstructing a corruption inquiry to myriad case failures.
Each and every time those at the top of the force have seemed all too much like the institution of the Metropolitan Police is more important than the city, and the Londoners, it serves.
The work to restore the faith in the Met must begin now.
Dame Cressida’s resignation was necessary for that process to begin but it is by no means enough on its own.
A replacement may better be found outside of the current hierarchy: a genuine fresh start for a force that needs it.